UK PM Starmer’s India visit to deepen collaborations in emerging technologies: Kanishka Narayan

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to India this week will lead to significant advances across shared areas of interest such as AI and emerging technologies, UK Minister for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Online Safety Kanishka Narayan said on Tuesday.

Ahead of Starmer’s first official tour of India, scheduled for October 8-9, the British Indian minister who was recently appointed to the portfolio in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) said an “exceptional foundation” has already been laid out for India-UK collaborations in tech as well as other key sectors.

The UK PM’s two-day visit, at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will see both leaders deliver keynote addresses at the sixth edition of the Global Fintech Fest in Mumbai and engage with industry experts, policymakers and innovators.

“The prime minister’s visit to India will make significant advances across our shared interests in connectivity, AI and emerging technologies,” said Narayan.

“India and the UK share a focus on research and, as importantly, on democratic adoption of these technologies. This visit is about deepening that shared focus with practical collaboration,” he said.

The Bihar-born Labour MP, who made history when he was elected as the first Indian-origin member of Parliament from Wales in last year’s general election, is excited about the technology sector being one of the key focus areas of the bilateral partnership and the immense potential of tie-ups that lie in store.

“We have, in our two countries, an exceptional foundation for collaboration: research partnerships, deep and personal histories, and a relentless pursuit of the future. We can channel these into specific opportunities for applied AI and online safety research, for adoption of AI products in our firms and public services, and for ensuring AI and online experiences serve democratic values that India and the UK hold dear,” he said.

Starmer, set to leave for India later on Tuesday, will be accompanied by an over 100-strong delegation of CEOs, university vice-chancellors and cultural chiefs with a mission to boost trade, technology and investment ties.

The opportunities arising out of the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), signed during Modi’s UK visit in July, and the bilateral Technology Security Initiative (TSI) clinched last year will be at the top of the agenda of Starmer-Modi talks.

According to UK government officials familiar with the visit, both leaders will engage with Indian and British business leaders to “turbocharge” trade between both countries, boost two-way investments and highlight the breadth of the bilateral relationship across a broad range of sectors.

Latest UK Department for Business and Trade (DBT) statistics released last month peg the total trade in goods and services between India and the UK at 44.1 billion pounds in the four quarters to March 2025, which marks an increase of 10.1 per cent over the previous period.

The Free Trade Agreement (FTA), officially known as CETA, is expected to significantly boost these figures by removing tariffs on over 90 per cent of UK goods. The target is to at least double bilateral trade by 2030 once the trade deal’s UK parliamentary ratification process is completed by next year.